


say the words (I love you)

by Yotsubadancesintherain5



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms
Genre: 5 Things, F/M, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28577535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yotsubadancesintherain5/pseuds/Yotsubadancesintherain5
Summary: Luigi hadn't ever called Princess Daisy by her name alone and it stood to wonder if he ever would.
Relationships: Princess Daisy/Luigi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 31





	say the words (I love you)

Whenever Luigi met with Princess Daisy he always spoke her name with the title, a kind of politeness that could be seen as a barrier.

It even extended to letters, as Luigi wrote her name and title at the top of the page in an equal, thoughtful flourish.

In all other aspects this measure of politeness didn’t seem to be an issue. Princess Daisy was usually the initiator for acts of affection that could be in the realm of friendship and blurred for romantic affection and he accepted them readily.

It would bring one to question when this undefined line of politeness that could be seen as a barrier would be made clear; such as it could be with unspoken romantic love.

-

While they were having a visit at Luigi’s home, after a meal he decided to hand-wash his hat after they finished up with the dishes.

“Is that fun?” Princess Daisy asked, sitting on the counter by the sink. She leaned over a bit to get a better look at him washing the hat.

He nodded and scrubbed at a particularly tough stain.

“It’s the best way to clean a hat.”

“Ah,” Princess Daisy replied. “Two hats, hand-washed.”

Luigi made a face at his hat and the bubbles in the water.

“No, big bro just tosses his in the washing machine.”

It was a minor one-sided argument that was never going to be solved.

“Is that bad?” she asked.

The scrubbing got a bit harsher as the irritation was beginning to bloom.

“Yes, putting it in a washing machine might make it shrink or tear.”

The water and bubbles in the sink were disrupted and droplets of water and suds were beginning to fly through the air.

“It needs to be hand-washed but _no_ , big bro always says, ‘It’ll get clean either way,’ but that’s just careless!”

Luigi heard Princess Daisy laugh and blinked, feeling confused after getting taken out of the passionate mind. He could feel his heated cheeks cooling.

“You have something there,” she said.

She reached out to brush away a small bunch of suds that had landed on his cheek. He could feel heat return to his face for a different reason.

“Ah, well – thank you, Princess Daisy.”

-

Luigi and Princess Daisy had gone on a walk together, on a scenic path. The summer breeze was gentle and the sky was a cornflower blue. The sun was high in the sky and its heat was the sort that slowly warmed one up.

Luigi was telling her about an adventure, one about an island and the dreams that manifested there when he slept, but he was a little unsteady when speaking.

It was because sometimes, as Princess Daisy replied, her eyes would look down at his hand. He could see her fingers drumming against the fabric of her dress.

He could also see that her cheeks were slightly pink, her other hand going across her forehead.

“Princess Daisy,” he said, as he stopped walking. “Do you want to borrow my hat? It’s warm out.”

Luigi shut his mouth before he nervously spilled out too many words.

“Oh! Yeah. Thanks, Luigi.”

He took off his hat and settled it on her head, adjusting it so that the brim didn’t obstruct her vision.

When it was done he tentatively brushed his hand against hers. He held it when she didn’t hesitate to grab his hand. They continued on their way and their shared stories filled the summer air.

-

It took two to tango but a lot more work to make it look right. This dance seemed to be riddled with off-beat steps, excitement that spilled over, or an inability to keep up.

Music crooned out in the air from a record player, and this dance wasn’t something that Luigi expected when he went to visit Princess Daisy at her home but he would take fault for failing to keep up. It seemed that for every quick succession of her shoes clicking on the floor, perhaps three steps on average, his own was one.

Their steps were uneven, barely missing stepping on each other’s feet. It felt like there was a continuous pull and resist, an unintentional fight.

For all intents and purposes it seemed like Princess Daisy was having fun. A part of Luigi was glad at this but another felt like he was going to fall.

When Princess Daisy stepped too far back, pulling on his hand too much, he nearly did fall forward.

Princess Daisy cried out and kept him from falling.

Luigi was still a little unsteady on his feet for just a moment. Still he managed, “Thank you, Princess Daisy.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “That was too fast.”

“I didn’t keep up,” he said. And, so that she would be happy in the dance again he added, “Let’s try again.”

Princess Daisy determinedly took his hand and wound her other arm to rest her hand at his back. In turn he got into position and let his hand rest right at the spot in-between her shoulder blades.

Their steps were slower this time, in tandem, the pull and resist becoming a flow.

In time it got a little faster. It was not an excellent dance but there was enough joy in the steps to call it good. The excitement was at a balance.

The music reached its crescendo and the steps reached their natural end. Luigi realized rather quickly that they were in an embrace, their faces nearly close enough to kiss.

He was close enough to see mutual surprise in Princess Daisy’s eyes, quickly replaced by mirth mixed with anticipation.

The music skipped loudly, enough to startle them both away from each other.

Luigi had his splayed hand over his heart and could feel the rapid beats under his fingers. Princess Daisy reached out and covered his hand with her own, her fingers filling in the spaces. She laced their hands together and gently pulled his hand down.

“We’ll try again later.”

-

Some months passed after that dance, and when they had gone on a walk together the sky and clouds had become a murky grey. Unceasing rain cascaded down, and they got caught in it, running for shelter.

Luigi was squeezing rain water out of his hat, shaking it out, and when he placed it back on his head he glanced at Princess Daisy.

Princess Daisy scrubbed her fingers through her hair to dry it but all it really did was make a few strands stick to her face. She looked at him, her mouth in a half-smile. It seemed that part of it was a dry realization that doing that didn’t help much and the smile half was for him just being nearby.

Luigi smiled fully, his heart full to bursting with fondness, and without thinking he reached to brush the strands away and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

He stepped back, a previously undefined line made very clear. It was in his nature to look downward, an apology in his mouth.

It was never said because he heard her laugh, a warm and delighted sound. He lifted up his head.

Princess Daisy’s hand was pressed to the place he had kissed her, as if she wanted to leave a phantom imprint of it there forever.

“Mouth,” she said.

“What?”

“Kiss me on the mouth next time.”

“ _Next time_ ,” his mind repeated. He could feel his body heat up, the warmth feeling strange against his rain-soaked clothes, as her words played on a loop.

Luigi didn’t guess that next time would come so soon but was not entirely surprised that it was initiated by Princess Daisy. Her arms were around him, her hands rested against the nape of his neck and her kiss was gentle. His hands, at first stiff with surprise, came to rest at the small of her back.

When they broke apart he could feel her hands pressed against his warm face. It seemed that his heart couldn’t completely hold itself together with the way she was looking at him.

“Daisy,” he said, and for now it seemed to be all that his voice could manage.

Realization was in Daisy’s eyes for a split second, replaced by mischief as her smile matched that emotion.

“If I’d known that kissing you would be what it’d take for you to say my name,” Daisy said, brushing her thumbs along his cheeks, “I would’ve done it a lot sooner.”

Luigi nearly said an apology but Daisy didn’t seem to have any ill-will toward the matter because she kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> So if you don't know the hat rant is actually canon! In Luigi's Mansion if you examine the washing machine Luigi makes a snarky comment about Mario carelessly chucking his hat into the washing machine.
> 
> One of the things that makes my heart go soft is when one character doesn't call another by their first name alone and then during a pivotal moment they do so. An indication of closeness!
> 
> And I read that "every Luigi/Daisy fan should try making a 'tango twirlers' drawing," so I decided to contribute by writing it!


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